The St. Joseph Project

New buildings are something we can all see and touch. But the reimagined St. Joseph’s will be so much more. St. Joe’s has always been about, and will always be about a holistic approach… offering a faith-based, Catholic education where all are welcome. After all, developing students to be happy, critical thinkers, problem solvers, collaborative leaders, good athletes and upstanding members of community is not exclusive to Catholics.

The St. Joseph Project: Upon the Past, a Future Built

St. Joseph Elementary is currently made up of five buildings dating back up to 75 years.

Mackenzie and St. Joseph’s Halls have outlived their usefulness and will be removed.

Doyle Hall, the newest building housing the gym and higher grade classrooms, will be saved. However, it will get a complete overhaul and clad to match an exciting two-storey addition containing a dozen brand-new classrooms and four washrooms. These two structures will be connected by a breezeway and communal courtyard, bringing all students and teachers back under one roof.

New landscaping, including a new playground, and repaving will create a campus better aligned to Sutherland Avenue and create better drop-off and pick-up traffic lanes and parking.

Immediate, Convenient and Exciting Impact

The St. Joseph Project’s timeline is ambitiously swift:

Raise the needed money now and in fall 2015 through “The Masterpiece Campaign”;

Start preparation and Doyle Hall renewal when our kids finish school in June 2016;

Using Britco’s factory built construction process, erect new addition in July 2016;

Welcome students and teachers to our new school in September 2016.

The entire Project completes with no interruption to learning whatsoever!

Inspired Stewardship: The Masterpiece Campaign

Our Masterpiece Campaign is already off to an incredible start. Of the $4.8 million needed to transform St. Joseph’s, more than half has already been raised with Kelowna’s parishes committing $1.5 million, the Diocese of Nelson adding $500,000 and private donations so far totalling almost $1,809,067. This means $990,933 has to be raised now and achieving this means our new school can be built mortgage free; a feat setting St. Joseph’s up for educational and community excellence without financial burden for generations.

The Sisters of Charity of Halifax arrived in Kelowna and started St. Joseph School (K-7) in 1939. In 1960, Immaculata Regional High School (8-12) was built on the St. Joseph School property (Doyle Hall) That means the buildings on the site range in age from 55 to more than 75 years old!

We have and continue to do so. Every building on the site has been meticulously cared for and serviced throughout the years. The harsh reality is that nearly eight decades of use we are simply not able to patch them together any longer. Certain infrastructure is beyond repair and needs replacing so we are doing so in the most practical, cost-effective manner possible – a combination of renovation (of the newest building) and the addition of a new structure.

While our local Catholic Schools do receive a portion of their funding from provincial government’s education grants, it covers barely 50% of our per pupil operating cost. It provides NO FUNDING OR EVEN LOW-INTEREST LOANS for infrastructure. We are on our own.

All cash donations are eligible for official Canada Revenue Agency charity receipts. For details on the amounts eligible, the process and how to go about receiving your charitable tax receipt please contact Holly Routley.

For years, local pastors, leaders, lay people and all manner of dedicated volunteer have spent countless hours studying, researching, planning and even praying. This has led to a concrete renewal package for St. Joseph School that is fiscally smart, physically achievable and educationally sound – and one that should see many of our current students benefiting from its implementation. Staying on the existing site made the most practical, logistical sense of all options considered but also allows us to maintain a daily relationship with an active, church community – a benefit for any Catholic school.

The projected cost for the entire project has been set at $4.8 million. This includes the renewal of Doyle Hall for $1.6 million, the new structural addition for $2.4 million plus approx. $800,000 for all old-building demolition, any new landscaping, paving & a 15% contingency.

Yes. To jumpstart this project, Bishop John has worked with our schools, local parishes & even the Nelson diocese as a whole to guarantee $2 million of funding towards our project over the next five years, leaving only $2.8 million of the $4.8 million to be raised locally. That means 42% of our goal is already met!

The Catholic Schools of Nelson Diocese, in partnership with the home and Church, strives to educate the whole child with the Gospel message of Jesus Christ as its foundation. By priests, administrators, teachers, support staff, parents, and parish members all working together, the students of CISND will reach their maximum potential spiritually, intellectually, physically, emotionally, and morally in a faith-filled community and become life-long learners and fine contributing Christian members of society.

Recognizing that the main school bldg. (Doyle Hall, the one with the large gym) is structurally sound, the re-development plan includes a top-to-bottom re-do (incl. HVAC, electrical, flooring, windows, plumbing, admin office & more) as well as the brand new construction of 12 classrooms & 4 washrooms in an addition featuring a custom-built, adjoining hallway/breezeway, entrance & courtyard. All decommissioned buildings will subsequently be removed while the parking lot configuration will be upgraded with new paving, landscaping & trees. Talks are also underway with the City of Kelowna re: traffic flow & lane issues. Additionally, discussions are already in process to ensure the Clubhouse Daycare remains open & on-site. This total renewal of our school is as comprehensive as it is exciting, pointing towards a very bright future for our St. Joseph Elementary School.

This local, Catholic legacy project has been structured to quite literally see us open the doors on a new school by September 2016 – a mere 18 months from now! But it can only happen if we secure the necessary commitments to make this broad, tangible expression of our faith a genuine reality.

Volunteers do a tremendous amount in our schools everyday but the reality of busy lives and the sheer scope of this project (the largest single, fundraising event in our local Catholic history) requires that someone be engaged full-time with the project beyond volunteer level. Rest assured, volunteers will still be necessary parts of this project going forward.

Holly Routley has been appointed as development co-ordinator. She is a fixture of parent support groups in our schools, has lead many parish initiatives and even arranged an assortment of special projects in service to others, Holly has also taken on the task of leadership training facilitator for the Office of Faith Formation (Nelson Diocese), became the women’s retreat co-ordinator at St. Charles Garnier parish in 2007 and served as National Director of Familia Canada between 1998-2007, travelling across Canada (and internationally) as a representative and keynote speaker at conferences promoting the family within our Catholic faith. A proud and active mother to six children, Holly’s background as a registered nurse (across two provinces) only serves to further underline her lifetime commitment to helping those most in need. As Development Co-ordinator for the St. Joseph Project, Holly will immediately take on the day-to-day responsibility of focusing, organizing and then steering the all-important drive to raise the funds necessary to commence this integral new school project.

Focusing on all of the options available – and there were many – and factoring in cost, logistics,church proximity and financial realities the option chosen is the single best way to provide for all of our educational needs going forward. It answers the most questions, solves the most problems and will lead to a re-vamp of the entire ICC parish site that will improve it for everyone in the parish as well.

Yes! The pastor at ICC has been integral in the planning and organization of this project from the very beginning and will continue to be involved as it comes together. Additionally, there are lay members of ICC parish that are on the Bishop’s task force charged with overseeing the project. ICC parish has been and will continue to be represented well in the project going forward.

There are many ways to help. We have need of volunteers with all kinds of skills and abilities. We need donations, we need leaders and we need even more. If you would like to now the many ways you can help please contact Holly at (250) 575-6996 / hroutley@cisnd.ca Thank you!

This project is structured and organized as its own entity. There is a separate bank account and structure to ensure ALL targeted donations GO EXACTLY TO THE PROJECT IN QUESTION. No funds donated to the new school project will be used for operation expenses at the schools. The schools remain obligated to continue raising operational funds on their own – independent of this project.

Yes. Please contact us and detail the manner in which you would like to help and we will add your name to the database of contacts as each area in question comes up. We can’t guarantee every person will be hired or contracted for every thing they want to do – and obviously priority will be given to those wishing to volunteer their goods or services over those requiring fees – but any and all help will be accepted and appreciated as much as possible. Thank you in advance.

Campaign Updates

The St. Joseph Project is moving ahead. Money is being raised and shovels will soon be in the ground. There is a lot happening and much information to be shared: stay tuned for Masterpiece events, stories and building progress and general updates.